KIKI STRIKE: THE EMPRESS'S TOMB
Kirsten Miller
Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books
Fiction/Action & Adventure
Hardcover: 9781599900476
Paperback: 9781599902975
350 pages

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Tunnels full of rats. Perfume that makes you seem trustworthy to other people. Disguises. Bugs (the kinds that record conversations, not the ones that you step on). Forged art. It's either a James Bond movie or just another day in the life of Ananka Fishbein and her friends, the Irregulars.

THE EMPRESS'S TOMB picks up where INSIDE THE SHADOW CITY left off, narrated by bookworm Ananka. Kiki Strike, the princess in peril, has become somewhat of a New York City urban legend. Whenever there's mischief, be it giant squirrels attacking people or a stink bomb going off at the Atalanta School, everyone thinks that Kiki is probably behind it. (Well, to be fair, she was responsible for the stink bomb.) While Kiki is off attempting to save her beloved guardian Verushka from poisoning, however, Ananka is just trying to survive going to school all day, spending nights with the Irregulars and not falling asleep in class. School and the Irregulars quickly become Ananka's biggest problems.

Because she falls asleep in class and sometimes gets in trouble, Ananka has been given a special assignment at school: a paper on New York City history. The good news is that no one knows more about this subject than Ananka. The bad news is that she accidentally reveals some of her knowledge about the Shadow City, the series of underground rooms and tunnels that she and the Irregulars started exploring two years ago. Now, she could jeopardize everything the Irregulars have worked to keep safe and secret.

At the same time, Oona Wong seems to be drifting apart from the Irregulars. She has never been open about much of anything regarding her life. It's only now, after they’ve known her for years, that the Irregulars are starting to learn about her home life. What worries the Irregulars is that Oona wants to restore her relationship with her father, Lester Liu, the leader of the notorious Fu-Tseng gang. The Irregulars know this can't be good for Oona. When they discover a plot of Lester Liu's that involves forged artwork and possibly killing Oona, they decide to put all their espionage skills to work.

More important than the espionage and page-turning adventure is the loyal relationship the Irregulars have with each other. They all face danger and uncertainty in one way or another, but their faith in each other is unwavering. With DeeDee's chemistry skills, Betty's talents for disguises and Kiki's inspiring nerve, they have what it takes to foil criminals and rescue one of their own.

    --- Reviewed by Carlie Webber

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